Steering gear



D. E.v ROSS. STEERING GEAR.

A PPLzcATloN FILED MAR. 7. 1921.

1,429, 1 02. Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

gf Inventar Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

DAVID E. ROSS, OF LAFAYETTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 ROSS GEAR & TOOL COMPANY 0F LAFAYETTE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

STEERING GEAR.

Application led March '7,

To all whom t may concermf y Be it known that I, DAVID E. Ross, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lafayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steerin Gears; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which -form part of th1s specification.

Thisinvention is an improvement in steering gears for automobiles, boats and the like. Its object is to rovide a simple, strong steering gear in whic motion istransmitted direct from the steering shaft to the rocker shaft in a powerful and efficient manner.

The invention in brief comprises a rocker shaft; oppositely disposed segments connected therewith and facing in opposite directions and lying in a plane at right angles to the plane of the axis .of the rocker shaft, and which segments also lie on opposite sides of the axis of the steering shaft, a steering shaft lying at right angles to the rocker shaft; and similar but opposed helical gears which respectively mesh with the said toothed segments and impart similar movements `in opposite directions to the said segment when the steering shaft is turned.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of the invention, and will explain the inventionv with reference to said drawings, and summarize in the claims the essentials of the invention and the novel features of construction and novel combinations of parts for which protection is desired.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a partly sectional view of the steerin gear on the line 1-1, Fig. 2, with part o the casing removed.

Fig. 2 is, a transverse section on the line 2-2, Fig. l, showing some parts in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view on the line 3 3, Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

As shown the `rocker shaft 1 is `mounted in a casing which may be of any suitable construction, and fastened to the vehicle, on

1921. serial No. 450,464.

which the gear is to be used, by any suitable means; as by a bracket 2a' attached to a beam I 2c of the chassis of a vehicle.

one side thereof, and projectingjtherefrom at r1ght angles to the axis of the shaft, is an approxlmately semi-circular bracket 3 carrying a preferably spirally toothed segment 3a. Attached to the said head at the side opposlte segment 3 is a similar but opposed bracket 4 which projects at right angles to the axis of the shaft and carries a similarly toothed segment 4a. The segments 3, 4 are oppositely faced, but are similarly formed or provided with preferably long spiral teeth 3b, 4b. The brackets 3 and, 4 may be attached to the head 1b in any suitable manner. As shown they are preferably provided with ears 3c and 4 at their ends (see Figs. 1 and 3) which are attached to opposite sides of the ends of the head 1b by means of rivets 1 as shown, but may be otherwise secured thereto.-

The two spirally toothed segments 3", 4* are respectively adapted to ymesh, with oppositely facing helical or spiral bevel gears or pinions 3, 4e which are keyed, or otherwise rigidly fastened, on the steering shaft 5. The gears 3', 4e are respectively angularly threadled right hand and left hand; and the segments 3", 4b with which they are engaged are correspondingly oppositely threaded. In-this constructionv the thrust or reaction between the gear 3" and segment 3b on the one hand, and the segment 4, 4" on the other hand, counteract ory counterbalance each other, that is, the thrust of ear 3 is'counterbalanced or counteracted iy the thrust of the gear 4. This obviates the necessity of having elaborat' thrust bearings for the shaft 5; and also doubles the ed'ective angular gear tooth surfaces operatin to transmit motion from the shaft 5 to sha t 1.

The shaft. 5 liesv at right angles to the rocker shaft 1 as shown, but may be set at any desired inclination to the vertical when the shaft 1 is horizontal. The shaft 5 may be journaled in suitable bearings in the c asing 2. As shown this casing-has a bearlng 2 for shaft 1 and the bearing has a semispherical portion 2 on its inner end to which is attached an opposed semi-spherical portion 2P; these portlons 2", 21 may be provided with peripheral anges 2", 2b on their meeting edges bolted together as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. These portions 2", 2P may be provided with bearings of any suitable kind for the steering shaft 5, the bearings beingl `only conventionally shown at 6 and 6a in Fig. 1. I

The steering shaft 5 may be tubular and when applied toA an automobile the control rods can pass through this shaft and be connected to the usual operating devices on the steering wheel on the upper end of the shaft, and by the usual connections to the devices to be operated below thecasing 2.

lt will ybe seen that the steering shaft 5 extends between the segments 3a, and 4"; that the segment a'lies at one side of the shaft 5 and the segment 4a at the other side thereof; consequently the similar rotative movements of the gears 3e, 4e meshing with the segments 3a, 4a impart a like extent of rotative movement to the rocker shaft land in the same direction and the thrust on gear 3 is counterbalanced by the thrust on gear 4e and the e'ective extent of angular gear tooth engagement between shaft 5 .and shaft l is doubled. The rocker shaft 1 and segments 3a, 4EL can have a movement of approximately inthe casing. The spiral teeth on the segments 3a, 4a and the spiral teeth of thegears 3, 4e may be of any desired angular pitch; which will permit the steering shaft to be properly turned to shift the rocker shaft in the desired direction.

Referring to Fig. 1, itwill be seen that when the steering shaft 5'is turned the gears 3 Aand 4e will be turned therewith and through their engagementwith the segments 3a and 4SL will turn the rocker shaft 1 with greater or less relative speed according to the angularity of the threads on the gears andsegments; and any rotation of the shaft 5 will cause a corresponding but lesser extent of rotative movement of the rocker shaft l-g the change of motion being effected immediately Aand vdirectly by the engagement of the opposed helical gears 3, 4e with the opposed helical segments 3a, 4a.

l claim:

1. ln a steering gear, a rocker shaft, a steering shaft vmember approximately at right angles thereto, a pair of oppositely disposed toothed segments attached to the inner end of the rocker shaft and lying on o posite sides of the axis of said shaft, and a so on opposite sides of the axis of the steering shaft, and gears on the steering shaft member respectively meshing with the related one of said segments.

2. lin a steering gear as set forth in claim. 1, a casing enclosing the said segments and gears vand provided with bearings for the rocker shaft and the steering shaft, substantially as described.

3. ln a steering gear, a rocker shaft, a steering shaft approximately at right angles thereto, a head on said rocker shaft, a pair of oppositely disposed oppositely facing toothed segments attached tothe saidhead and lying on opposite sides of the axis of the. rocker shaft and also onvopposite sides of the axis of the steeringA shaft and gears on the steering shaft` disposed at opposite sides of the axis of the rocker shaft and respectively meshing with the related one of said segments.

4. lin a steering gear, as set forth in claim 3,'a casing enclosing the said segments and gears and provided with bearings for the rocker shaft and the steering shaft, substantially as described.

5. ln a steering gear, a rocker shaft having a yoke head, a pair of oppositely disposed and oppositely facing toothed segments connected with opposite sides of the rocker shaft head and lying in planes at right angles to the plane of the axis of the to@ rocker shaft, a steering shaft member extending between said segments, and ears on said steering shaft member respectively meshing with the said segments.

6. lin a steering gear as set forth in claim 5, a casing enclosing the said segments and gears, and provided with bearings for the rocker shaft and the steering shaft member, substantially as described.

7. ln a steering gear, a rocker shaft havlll@ ing a yoke shaped head, a pair of oppositely disposed and oppositely facing -spirally toothed segments connected 'with opposite sides of the said head and lying in'planes at right angles to the plane of the axis of MI5 lthe rocker shaft; a steering shaft extending between said segments and lying in a plane approximately perpendicular to the rocker shaft, and spirally toothed gears on said steering shaft respectively meshing with the 112@ said segments.

8. ln a steering gear as set forth in claim 7, a casing enclosing the said segments and gears, and provided with bearings for the I rocker shaft and the steering shaft, substan- 51255 tially as described.

9. ln a steering gear, a rocker shaft having a bifurcated head, a bracket attached to one side of said head and projectingyfin a plane at right angles to the plane lof the )leo axis of the rocker shaft, a second bracket attached to the opposite side of said head and lying in a plane at right angles to the axis of the rocker shaft, similarly toothed 5 segments on said brackets; a steering shaft extending through said head and between the said brackets and attached segments and spiral gears fixed to said steering shaft at opposite sides ofthe axis of the rocker shaft 10 and respectively meshing with the adjacent spirally toothed segments ysubstantially as described.

10. In a steering gear as set forth in claim 9, a`casin encloslng the said segments and gears an provided with bearings for the rocker shaft and the steering shaft,substan tially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I aix my si nature.

D VID E. ROSS. 

